Coil-spring controller.



PATENTED APR. 19, 1904.

T. A. SHEA. COIL SPRING CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 14, 1903.

HO MODEL,

UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904-.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS A. SHEA, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE SLOAN, JR, OF OSVVEGO, NEW YORK,

COIL-SPRING CONTROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,781, dated April 19, 1904.

Application filed December 14, 1903. Serial No. 185,077. (No model.)

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention'relates to a means for controlling or retarding the recoil of coil-springs, so that they can be used in place of the more expensive and cumbersome elliptic or leaf springs; and it consists, essentially, in providing the ends of the cap-plate flanges inclosing the coils with reversely-bent inclined ends forming resilient wedges, which are arranged with their inclined surfaces in contact when the parts are assembled. By this construction and arrangement a frictional control is exerted on the coil or coils in direct proportion to the load or the pressure to which they are subjected.

My invention will be understood by refer' ence to the drawings herewith referred to in the specification and forming a part thereof.

Figures I and II are side elevations of my invention applied to cap plates inclosing a single coil and illustrating the position of the parts under light and heavy load,respectively.

Fig. 111 is an isometric view of the cap-plates without the coils. Fig. IV is a vertical section showing my peculiar cap-plates used with 7 Figs. V, VI, and VII lllllS': trate slight variations that may be made in the form of the cap-plates.

In the figures, 1 indicates the main coil or coils; 3, the upper cap-plate, provided with downwardly-extending flanges 4:, and 5 the lower cap-plate, provided with upwardly-extending flanges 6. erably made of tempered spring-steel, and the ends of their flanges are reversely bent at an acute angle into inclined ends, forming resilient wedges or wedge-like ends. The ends 8 of the upper cap-plate are bent outwardly and" the ends 9 of the lower cap-plate inwardly.

The plates may be formed with lugs 11 11 The cap-plates are pref-1 to maintain the coils in position and recessed at'12 and 13 to receive the thimble 14 and-the retaining-bolt 15, as shown in Fig. IV.

When the parts are assembled, the inclined surfaces of the resilient ends are arranged to a small extent in contact-that is, with the wedging ends of the upper flanges inserted only a short distance Within the corresponding ends of the lower flanges. As the load increases the coils are compressed, the capplates forced toward each other, and the inclined ends forced into engagement toa gradually-increasing extent, with the result that the flanges of the lower cap-plate are bent outwardly, the flanges ofthe upper cap-plate inwardly, and the inclined ends forced toward their respective flanges. Thus, the cap-plates being of spring-steel, as the load increases a correspondingly-greater resilient resistance is opposed to such bending of the parts, and consequently a continually increasing force is exerted on the inclined surfaces, increasing the frictional pressure between them, as it is by this frictional engagement of the inclined surfaces that the vibrations of the coils are controlled. Such friction and control is caused by the load or the pressure and varies directly therewith. From the construction of my device such control is also very delicate and sensitive, more so than is the case with leaf-springs, it being equally adapted to control the vibrations caused by the slightest or the more severe shocks. It will be seen that the lower cap-plate is wider and its corner per flanges, and finally slightly to spring the inclined resilient ends toward their respective flanges. Thus in the operation of my device eight springs, counting each of these eight" angles as one spring, of varying degrees of resistance, as described, are put into operav tion to resist the weight of the load or in1" pact of the shock or pressure, which results in a very delicate and sensitive control' roportioned to the slighter shocks, but of a gradually-increasing resilient resistance, and

'convex and the base. of the other concave.

therefore exerting a frictional control proportioned also'to the heavier shocks. This is practically illustrated in Fig. II, where the spring is supposed to be under heavy load, while in the other figures it is shown under light load.

It will be understood that the terms upper and lower are relative, for these springs may be set horizontally or in any desired position and used for any desired purpose, such as buflers, &c., and the wider cap plate be made the upper; but evidently when 'pair of flanges catching or cutting into the metal of the inclined surfaces on the other flanges.

The bases of my cap-plates are preferably made flat, as shown in Figs. I to VI; but they may be made with one or both bases curved, as shown in Fig. VII, with the base of one The cap-plates thus made combine in a strong, simple, and economical form the functions of retaining-plates and of recoil-retarders. They not only aflord a resilient resistance to the longitudinal or axial strains, but as the capplate flanges grip each other they afford at the same time a connection between the parts between which they are supported which is both sufliciently firm and sufficiently resilient to afford the best resistance to the irregular angular and lateral strains to which the rolling-stock of railroads is constantly subjected. ,under the conditions of daily use.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a coil-spring controller, the'combination with the coil, of opposite spring-steel capplates, integral side flanges on the cap-plates,

- the ends of the flanges on one cap-plate being arranged within the ends of the other flanges, and inclined surfaces on the flange ends arranged in contact, so as to increase the friction between the inclined surfaces in proportion to the increase in load.

2. In a coil-spring controller, the combination with the coil or coils, of upper and lower cap-plates and integral side flanges on the capplates, the ends of the flanges being turned back at an angle to their flanges and said backturned ends arranged in contact.

plates, integral side flanges on the cap-plates,

one pair of flanges being arranged inside the other pair, and ends on the flanges backturned at an acute angle to their respective flanges,

the inclined surfaces on the ends being arranged in contact.

4. In a coil-spring controller, the combination with the coils, of an upper cap-plate having integral, opposite, side flanges and integral ends on the flanges turned back and out at an acute angle, of a lower cap-plate having corresponding flanges and ends turned back and in at an acute angle, the angular ends on the flanges being arranged in contact.

5. In a coilspring controller, the combination with the coils, of a lower cap-plate having a flat base and a pair of integral, opposite side flanges extending upwardly from the base, said flanges having ends in and back turned at an acute angle to their flanges, an upper cap-plate having a flat base, narrower than the base of the lower cap-plate, and a pair of corresponding flanges downwardly extending from the base, within the lower flanges,

said upper flanges having ends out and back turned and arranged in contact with the lower flange ends, the portions of the lower capplate connecting the flanges to the base being bent in larger curves than the corresponding portions of the upper cap-plate.

6. As a new article of manufacture, tempered spring-steel cap-plates for coil-springs, integral flanges on both cap-plates, the flanges of one cap-plate being arranged within the flanges of the other cap-plate, and at least one pair of flanges being provided with wedge-like ends, said ends being arranged with their inclined surfaces in contact with the ends of the flanges of the other cap-plate.

7. Upper and lower cap plates for coilsprings having integral side flanges, one pair of flanges being arranged within the other pair and wedge-like ends on at least one pair of-flanges having the inclined surfaces in contact with the other flanges, at least one of said cap-plates being resilient.

8. In a car-spring, the combination with one or more coil springs, of upper and lower spring-steel cap-plates havingflanges extending substantially at right angles to their bases, one pair of flanges being arranged within the other pair and wedge-like ends on the flanges having their inclined surfaces in contact.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS A. SHEA.

Witnesses:

(I. C. SCHOENECK, M. E. (Moon. 

